FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (November 30, 2023) – The New England Revolution today appointed Curt Onalfo (oh-NALL-foe) to the club’s top soccer post of Sporting Director, where he will oversee the Revolution’s soccer operations, player personnel, scouting, and player development.
Onalfo brings 20 years of front office and coaching experience to the Sporting Director position, including the last four-plus seasons as the Revolution’s Technical Director, where he played an important role in the organization’s personnel and scouting operations and helmed the club’s nationally acclaimed Pro Player Pathway. Onalfo has helped build a perennial MLS contender during his time in New England, as the Revolution have reached the MLS Cup Playoffs in four of his five seasons with the club, including the best three-season record in team history over the last three campaigns from 2021-23.
“Curt has done an outstanding job playing a leading role in our sporting operations for the last five seasons, helping rebuild the Revolution into a trophy contender at every level of our program from the first team through the academy,” said Revolution President Brian Bilello. “The passion, energy and expertise Curt brings to the organization, all demonstrated throughout his time with the club, make him the right person to lead our sporting operation moving forward as we continue building toward our ultimate goal of delivering trophies to our fans.”
As the chief decision maker overseeing the Revolution’s Pro Player Pathway, Onalfo directed Revolution II since its inaugural season in 2020 and presided over the Revolution Academy during a period of tremendous growth and unparalleled on-field success. Onalfo’s decades of experience in player development has resulted in over 40 players to date receiving their professional debuts with New England’s second team, 29 of which were current members or products of the Revolution Academy.
This season, Revolution II set team records for wins, points, and goals scored en route to a final-four finish in MLS NEXT Pro. In 2023, the first-team roster boasted five Homegrown Players, along with several others who have seen their development accelerated through experience with the second team. The Revolution’s revamped development pipeline continues to pay fruitful dividends, as three more teenage products of the Pro Player Pathway are set to join the MLS roster as homegrowns in 2024, including the organization’s youngest pro signing to date.
“I am grateful to the Kraft family and Brian Bilello for the trust they have put in me to guide this proud and historic MLS club into a new era of success on the field,” Onalfo said. “Since I joined this club in 2019, I have dedicated myself fully to enhancing the club through every avenue available and will continue to commit all of my focus into building a winning on-field product for the Revolution and all of our supporters.”
Under his leadership, the Revolution Academy became the first and only back-to-back champions in MLS NEXT Cup history, having won the last two national championships in the Under-19 division. Onalfo, 54, has directed the ongoing expansion of the Revolution Academy, which now features five elite youth teams competing in MLS NEXT, including the brand-new Under-13 team, which has maintained a perfect 16-0-0 record to open its first competitive season. Onalfo also helped the Revolution establish a world-class Residency program, which has expanded to include three residential homes near the Revolution Training Center in Foxborough and supported the development of 15 different players in the last year alone.
A four-time MLS Cup winner as a player (1999) and coach (2011, 2012, and 2014), Onalfo’s experience also includes head coaching tenures at three MLS clubs. He spent six years as an assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s National Team, coaching the Stars & Stripes at two FIFA Men’s World Cups in 2002 and 2006. With the LA Galaxy, Onalfo served as the inaugural head coach of LA Galaxy II from 2014-16, leading “Los Dos” to a 46-29-20 record and a conference title before ascending to the head coaching position with the Galaxy’s first team.
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Onalfo is a fluent Spanish speaker with deep New England roots. He was raised in Connecticut and attended Ridgefield High School, before playing collegiately at the University of Virginia. In his career as a defender, Onalfo played four MLS seasons with the then-San Jose Clash (1997) and D.C. United (1998-99), earned one cap with the U.S. national team, and featured for the Stars and Stripes in several youth competitions including the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship and 1992 Summer Olympics.
